U.S. patent application number 14/903090 was filed with the patent office on 2016-06-30 for communication terminal.
This patent application is currently assigned to NEC Corporation. The applicant listed for this patent is NEC CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Norihito FUJITA, Masato YASUDA.
Application Number | 20160192421 14/903090 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52279569 |
Filed Date | 2016-06-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160192421 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
YASUDA; Masato ; et
al. |
June 30, 2016 |
COMMUNICATION TERMINAL
Abstract
A first communication terminal, unconnected with a communication
network, searches for a second communication terminal existing
around the own communication terminal. In the communication
network, one of a plurality of communication terminals functions as
a master having a function of an access point, and the rest of the
communication terminals function as slaves of the master. Based on
the information included in a communication message received from
one or more second communication terminals found through the
search, the first communication terminal determines a second
communication terminal which serves as a connection counterpart
from among the second communication terminals, and configures a
communication network with the determined connection
counterpart.
Inventors: |
YASUDA; Masato; (Tokyo,
JP) ; FUJITA; Norihito; (Tokyo, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
NEC CORPORATION |
Tokyo |
|
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
NEC Corporation
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
52279569 |
Appl. No.: |
14/903090 |
Filed: |
June 20, 2014 |
PCT Filed: |
June 20, 2014 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/JP2014/003318 |
371 Date: |
January 6, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/434 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 76/14 20180201;
H04W 84/20 20130101; H04W 8/005 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 76/02 20060101
H04W076/02; H04W 8/00 20060101 H04W008/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 9, 2013 |
JP |
2013-143765 |
Claims
1. A network configuration method comprising: by a first
communication terminal unconnected with a communication network,
searching for a second communication terminal existing around; and
by the first communication terminal, based on information included
in a communication message received from the second communication
terminal found through the search, determining the second
communication terminal that serves as a connection counterpart, and
configuring the communication network with the determined
connection counterpart.
2. The network configuration method according to claim 1, wherein
the first communication terminal includes a storage unit that
stores a list of communication addresses, and the first
communication terminal collates a communication address of the
second communication terminal included in the communication message
received from the second communication terminal with the
communication address in the list, and determines the second
communication terminal that serves as the connection
counterpart.
3. The network configuration method according to claim 1, wherein
the first communication terminal includes a storage unit that
stores a plurality of terminal states and an order of priority of
the terminal states, and the first communication terminal
determines a terminal state of the second communication terminal
based on the information included in the communication message
received from the second communication terminal, and determines the
second communication terminal having a terminal state of higher
priority to be the connection counterpart.
4. The network configuration method according to claim 3, wherein
as the terminal states, the storage unit stores a first state of
being unconnected with the communication network, and a second
state of being connected with the communication network and
functioning as a master having a function of an access point, and
in the order of priority of the terminal states, the second state
has higher priority than the first state.
5. The network configuration method according to claim 3, wherein
as the terminal states, the storage unit stores a first state of
being unconnected with the communication network and being
incapable of hosting a persistent group, a second state of being
unconnected with the communication network and being capable of
hosting the persistent group, a third state of being connected with
the communication network as a master having a function of an
access point and being incapable of hosting the persistent group,
and a fourth state of being connected with the communication
network and being capable of hosting the persistent group, and a
descending order of the priority is the fourth state, the third
state, the second state, and the first state.
6. The network configuration method according to claim 1, wherein
in the network configuration, the first communication terminal
performs a connection procedure according to a terminal state of
the second communication terminal determined to be the connection
counterpart.
7. A communication terminal that is a first communication terminal
constituting a communication network, the communication terminal
comprising: a wireless communication unit that transmits and
receives a communication message; and a control unit connected with
the wireless communication unit, wherein the control unit searches
for a second communication terminal existing around, based on
information included in a communication message received from the
second communication terminal found through the search, the control
unit determines the second communication terminal that serves as a
connection counterpart, and the control unit configures the network
with the determined connection counterpart.
8. The communication terminal according to claim 7, further
comprising a storage unit that stores a list of communication
addresses, wherein the control unit collates a communication
address of the second communication terminal included in the
communication message received from the second communication
terminal with the communication address in the list, and determines
the second communication terminal that serves as the connection
counterpart.
9. The communication terminal according to claim 7, further
comprising a storage unit that stores a plurality of terminal
states and an order of priority of the terminal states, wherein the
control unit determines a terminal state of the second
communication terminal based on the information included in the
communication message received from the second communication
terminal, and determines the second communication terminal having a
terminal state of higher priority to be the connection
counterpart.
10. The communication terminal according to claim 9, wherein as the
terminal states, the storage unit stores a first state of being
unconnected with the communication network, and a second state of
being connected with the communication network and functioning as a
master having a function of an access point, and in the order of
priority of the terminal states, the second state has higher
priority than the first state.
11. The communication terminal according to claim 9, wherein as the
terminal states, the storage unit stores a first state of being
unconnected with the communication network and being incapable of
hosting a persistent group, a second state of being unconnected
with the communication network and being capable of hosting the
persistent group, a third state of being connected with the
communication network as a master having a function of an access
point and being incapable of hosting the persistent group, and a
fourth state of being connected with the communication network as
the master and being capable of hosting the persistent group, and a
descending order of the priority is the fourth state, the third
state, the second state, and the first state.
12. The communication terminal according to claim 7, wherein in the
network configuration, the control unit performs a connection
procedure according to a state of the second communication terminal
determined to be the connection counterpart.
13. The communication terminal according to claim 7, wherein the
wireless communication unit includes a device driver, and the
control unit includes: a connection control unit that connects to
the device driver; and a user control unit that connects to an
intermediate file of a UNIX domain socket used for communication
between an application unit that controls a graphical user
interface and the connection control unit, intercepts communication
from the connection control unit to the application unit via the
intermediate file, and spoofs the application unit to thereby
transmit a command to a connection control unit via the
intermediate file.
14. A network configuration method performed by a communication
terminal that constitutes a communication network, the method
comprising: by a first communication terminal, searching for a
second communication terminal existing around; by the first
communication terminal, based on information included in a
communication message received from the second communication
terminal found through the search, determining the second
communication terminal that serves as a connection counterpart; and
configuring the network with the determined connection
counterpart.
15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program
comprising instructions for causing a computer, held by a first
communication terminal constituting a communication network, to
function as: a wireless communication unit that transmits and
receives a communication message; and a control unit connected with
the wireless communication unit, wherein the control unit searches
for a second communication terminal existing around, based on
information included in a communication message received from the
second communication terminal found through the search, the control
unit determines the second communication terminal that serves as a
connection counterpart, and the control unit configures the network
with the determined connection counterpart.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a communication terminal, a
network configuration method, and a program.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] As a type of short-distance communication network, a
communication network conforming to the Wi-Fi Direct specification
has been known (see Non-Patent Document 1, for example). In the
communication network conforming to the Wi-Fi Direct specification,
one of a plurality of communication terminals participating in a
network functions as a master having an access point function, and
the rest of the communication terminals function as slaves of the
master. Compared with a Wi-Fi Ad-hoc network in which only
one-to-one connection is available, a communication network
conforming to the Wi-Fi Direct specification has features that
one-to-many connection is available, communication between slaves
can be established via the master, security strength is relatively
high, and the like. As such, a communication network conforming to
the Wi-Fi Direct specification has been used in various
applications such as data sharing, recently. The present invention
relates to a method of configuring such a communication network
conforming to the Wi-Fi Direct specification. However, application
of the present invention is not limited to a communication network
conforming to the Wi-Fi Direct specification.
[0003] Patent Document 1 describes an exemplary method of
configuring a communication network conforming to the Wi-Fi Direct
specification. In Patent Document 1, in order to exchange P2P (Peer
to Peer) capability information, each communication terminal is
able to exchange information with another communication terminal to
request establishment of a P2P connection, without user
intervention. When exchanging the P2P capability information,
parameter information showing a connection type (Wi-Fi Direct, or
the like), a protocol, corresponding authentication, a security
method, or the like is exchanged. Then, based on the found P2P type
or the like, each communication terminal determines whether or not
to establish a P2P connection with another communication terminal.
For example, a communication terminal requests a connection with
another communication terminal via the network connection type of
Wi-Fi Direct, in order to use a VoIP service. In the process, the
case of establishing a P2P connection between only two
communication terminals and the case of establishing a P2P
connection among two or more communication terminals are exemplary
shown. [0004] Patent Document 1: JP 2013-507029 A [0005] Non-Patent
Document 1: Wi-Fi Alliance Technical Committee P2P Task Group Wi-Fi
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Technical Specification Version 1.1
SUMMARY
[0006] Meanwhile, Non-Patent Document 1 provides a procedure of
searching for a nearby communication terminal by a communication
terminal unconnected with a communication network, by transmitting
and receiving a communication message regarding the search with
another communication terminal. However, neither Non-Patent
Document 1 nor Patent Document 1 describes a method of determining
a connection counterpart when one or more communication terminals
are found in the search. With a method in which information
regarding the found communication terminals is presented to a user
of a communication terminal and the user is allowed to select one
communication terminal, it is difficult to realize an automatic
connection.
[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a network
configuration method which solves the above described problem, that
is, a problem that it is difficult to automatically connect a
communication terminal, unconnected with a communication network,
to another communication terminal.
[0008] A network configuration method, according to a first
exemplary aspect of the present invention, is a method of
configuring a communication network in which one of a plurality of
communication terminals functions as a master having a function of
an access point and the rest of the communication terminals
function as slaves of the master. The method includes:
[0009] by a first communication terminal unconnected with the
communication network, searching for a second communication
terminal existing around the own communication terminal,
[0010] by the first communication terminal, based on the
information included in a communication message received from the
one or more second communication terminals found through the
search, determining one of the second communication terminals that
serves as a connection counterpart, from among the one or more
second communication terminals, configuring the communication
network with the determined connection counterpart.
[0011] A communication terminal, according to a second exemplary
aspect of the present invention, is a communication terminal that
constitutes a communication network in which one communication
terminal of the communication terminals functions as a master
having a function of an access point, and the rest of the
communication terminals function as slaves of the master. The
communication terminal includes:
[0012] a wireless communication unit that performs transmission and
reception of a communication message with another communication
terminal; and
[0013] a control unit connected with the wireless communication
unit.
[0014] The control unit searches for another communication terminal
existing around the own communication terminal.
[0015] Based on the information included in a communication message
received from the one or more other communication terminals found
through the search, the control unit determines one of the other
communication terminals that serves as a connection counterpart,
from among the one or more other communication terminals, and
[0016] the control unit configures the communication network with
the determined connection counterpart.
[0017] A network configuration method, according to a third
exemplary aspect of the present invention, is a network
configuration method performed by a communication terminal that
constitutes a communication network in which one communication
terminal of the communication terminals functions as a master
having a function of an access point, and the rest of the
communication terminals function as slaves of the master. The
method includes:
[0018] searching for another communication terminal existing around
the own communication terminal,
[0019] based on the information included in a communication message
received from the one or more other communication terminals found
through the search, determining one of the other communication
terminals that serves as a connection counterpart, from among the
one or more other communication terminals, and
[0020] configuring the communication network with the determined
connection counterpart.
[0021] A program, according to a fourth exemplary aspect of the
present invention, causes a computer held by a communication
terminal to function as, the communication terminal constituting a
communication network in which one communication terminal of the
communication terminals functions as a master having a function of
an access point, and the rest of the communication terminals
function as a slave of the master:
[0022] a wireless communication unit that transmits and receives a
communication message with another communication terminal; and
[0023] a control unit connected with the wireless communication
unit.
[0024] The control unit searches for another communication terminal
existing around the own communication terminal.
[0025] Based on information included in a communication message
received from the one or more other communication terminals found
through the search, the control unit determines one of the other
communication terminals that serves as a connection counterpart,
from among the one or more other communication terminals, and
[0026] the control unit configures the communication network with
the determined connection counterpart.
[0027] As the present invention has the configurations described
above, it is possible to automatically connect a communication
terminal, unconnected with a communication network, to another
communication terminal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0028] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication terminal
according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
[0029] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing operation of the communication
terminal according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
[0030] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a communication terminal
according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
[0031] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the outline of a procedure of
connecting a communication terminal, according to the second
exemplary embodiment of the present invention, to another
communication terminal.
[0032] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing details of Device Discovery
performed by a communication terminal in the second exemplary
embodiment of the present invention.
[0033] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the outline of Device Discovery
operation performed by a communication terminal, according to the
second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, with another
communication terminal.
[0034] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the outline of Device Discovery
operation performed by a communication terminal, according to the
second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, with another
communication terminal with which a group has been established.
[0035] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the case of that a
communication terminal according to the second exemplary embodiment
of the present invention acquires, from Probe Response received
from another communication terminal, an authentication method
supported by the other communication terminal.
[0036] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an exemplary procedure of
connecting a communication terminal, according to the second
exemplary embodiment of the present invention, to another
communication terminal.
[0037] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the outline of GO Negotiation
performed by a communication terminal, according to the second
exemplary embodiment of the present invention, with another
communication terminal.
[0038] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the outline of WPS Provisioning
Phase 1 performed by a communication terminal, according to the
second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, with another
communication terminal.
[0039] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the outline of WPS Provisioning
Phase 2 performed by a communication terminal, according to the
second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, with another
communication terminal.
[0040] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing another exemplary procedure
of connecting a communication terminal, according to the second
exemplary embodiment of the present invention, to another
communication terminal.
[0041] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the outline of Provision
Discovery performed by a communication terminal, according to the
second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, with another
communication terminal.
[0042] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing still another exemplary
procedure of connecting a communication terminal, according to the
second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, to another
communication terminal.
[0043] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the outline of Invitation
performed by a communication terminal, according to the second
exemplary embodiment of the present invention, with another
communication terminal.
[0044] FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a communication terminal
according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
[0045] FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing details of Device Discovery
performed by a communication terminal according to the third
exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0046] FIG. 19 is a block diagram of a communication terminal
according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
[0047] FIG. 20 is a block diagram of a communication terminal
according to a fifth exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0048] Next, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be
described with reference to the drawings.
First Exemplary Embodiment
[0049] Referring to FIG. 1, a communication terminal 110 according
to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention is a
wireless communication terminal which forms a communication network
conforming to the Wi-Fi Direct specification. The communication
terminal 110 includes a wireless communication unit 111, a control
unit 112, an application unit 113, a storage unit 114, and an
antenna 115.
[0050] The wireless communication unit 111 has a function of
transmitting and receiving communication messages wirelessly with
another communication terminal. At the time of transmission, the
wireless communication unit 111 creates a packet of a communication
message in response to a request from the control unit 112,
performs processing such as addition of a header and an error
detection code to the created packet, generates a modulation signal
of a frequency band of a carrier wave from the processed data, and
transmits it as a radio signal from the antenna 115. Further, at
the time of reception, the wireless communication unit 111
demodulates a radio signal received by the antenna 115 to thereby
decode the packet of a communication message, and notifies the
control unit 112 of the communication message after checking that
there is no error based on the error detection code.
[0051] The control unit 112 has a function of governing overall
control of the communication terminal 110 including determination
of a frequency to be used by the wireless communication unit 111,
creation and transmission instruction of various types of
communication messages, interpretation of received various types of
communication messages, and control of connection processing.
[0052] For example, the control unit 112 has a function of
searching for another communication terminal existing around the
own communication terminal through transmission and reception of
communication messages regarding a search via the wireless
communication unit 111 with another communication terminal existing
around the own communication terminal, if the own communication
terminal is unconnected with a communication network. The search
for a nearby communication terminal is performed conforming to
Device Discovery Procedure of the Wi-Fi Direct specification, for
example.
[0053] Specifically, the control unit 112 transmits a prove request
to the surroundings, and wait for reception of a prove response.
Then, when the control unit 112 receives a prove response, the
control unit 112 recognizes that there is another communication
terminal around the own communication terminal. Further, by
analyzing the received prove response, the control unit 112
recognizes a communication address (MAC address, for example), a
connection state to a network, propriety of the master, and the
like of such a communication terminal existing around it.
[0054] According to the Wi-Fi Direct specification, a prove
response includes a MAC address of a communication terminal which
transmitted the prove response. Further, according to the Wi-Fi
Direct specification, the prove response has attributes such as P2P
Capability, P2P Device Info, and P2P Group Info. P2P Capability has
fields such as Group Capability Bitmap. Group Capability Bitmap has
bits such as P2P Group Owner, Persistent P2P Group, and Persistent
Reconnect. If the other communication terminal is GO, the P2P Group
Owner bit is set to 1. If the other communication terminal hosts a
persistent group (Persistent P2P Group) or in a state of being
capable of hosting it (hereinafter, such a state is described as a
state of being capable of hosting a persistent group), the
Persistent P2P Group bit and the Persistent Reconnect bit are set
to 1. Here, a persistent group is a group in which credentials used
at the time of constructing the group are stored so as to be
reusable in subsequent group construction, the details of which are
described in Non-Patent Document 1.
[0055] Further, P2P Device Info has a field such as P2P Device
Address and Config Methods. P2P Device Address is an identifier
which uniquely identifies the other communication terminal. Config
Methods describe information (authentication method such as PIN or
PBC, for example) regarding WSC (Wi-Fi Simple Configuration)
Methods supported by the other communication terminal. On the other
hand, P2P Group Info is only included in a prove response returned
from GO, and has a field such as P2P Client Info Descriptor. P2P
Client Info Descriptor includes information regarding the client
belonging to the GO group.
[0056] Further, the control unit 112 has a function of determining
another communication terminal which becomes a connection
counterpart from among the other communication terminals based on
the information included in the communication messages received
from the other communication terminals found through the search,
and configuring a communication network with the connection
counterpart. An exemplary method of determining a connection
counterpart by the control unit 112, based on the information
included in the communication message received from another
communication terminal, will be described below.
(1) Connection Counterpart Determination Method 1
[0057] The communication terminal 110 stores a list of
communication addresses (MAC addresses, for example) of
communication terminals in the storage unit 114. From the
communication message received from another communication terminal
found through the search, the control unit 112 acquires the
communication address of the communication terminal. Then, the
control unit 112 checks the acquired communication address with the
communication address in the list, and determines whether or not
the received communication address is on the list. The control unit
112 determines a communication terminal in which the communication
address thereof is one the list, among the one or more
communication terminals found, to be a connection counterpart.
According to this determination method, it is possible to
automatically connect a communication terminal, unconnected with
the communication network, to another communication terminal listed
in advance.
(2) Connection Counterpart Determination Method 2
[0058] The communication terminal 110 stores states of a
communication terminal and priorities among the states, in the
storage unit 114. Here, the states of a communication terminal
include a state showing whether or not to be connected with a
network, a state showing whether or not to be functioning as a
master, a state of being capable of hosting a persistent group, and
the like. From the communication message received from another
communication terminal found through the search, the control unit
112 acquires a state of the other communication terminal. For
example, if there is no P2P Group Info attribute in the received
Probe Response, the control unit 112 determines that the
communication terminal which transmitted the Probe Response is in a
non-connected state. Further, the control unit 112 acquires a state
whether or not the communication terminal is GO, from the P2P Group
Owner bit in the Group Capability Bitmap field in the P2P
Capability attribute, for example. Further, the control unit 112
acquires whether or not the communication terminal is in a state of
being capable of hosting a persistent group, from the Persistent
P2P Group bit or the Persistent Reconnect bit in the Group
Capability Bitmap field in the P2P Capability attribute, for
example.
[0059] Then, the control unit 112 determines a communication
terminal in a state of a higher priority, to be a connection
counterpart.
[0060] According to this determination method, by setting a state
of being connected with a network and being functioning as a master
to have a higher priority than a state of being unconnected with
the network, it is possible to automatically connect a
communication terminal, unconnected with a communication network,
to another communication terminal which is connected with the
network and is functioning as a master. On the contrary, by setting
a state of being unconnected with a network to have a higher
priority than a state of being functioning as a master, it is
possible to automatically connect a communication terminal, being
unconnected with a communication network, to another communication
terminal unconnected with the communication network. Further, by
setting a state of being capable of hosting a persistent group to
have a higher priority than a state of being incapable of hosting a
persistent group, a high-speed connection can be realized.
[0061] The method of determining a connection counterpart based on
the information included in a communication message is not limited
to the determination method 1 and the determination method 2. A
method in which the determination method 1 and the determination
method 2 are combined, or another method, may be adopted.
[0062] The application unit 113 has a function of executing an
application program. Any types and any number of application
programs may be used. For example, in the application unit 113, an
application for making voice communication, an application for
performing file transfer, an application for exchanging content
data, and the like, with another communication terminal connected
with the communication network, may be executed.
[0063] The storage unit 114 is configured of storage devices such
as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a
hard disk, and stores programs and various types of data. Data to
be stored includes control data and application data. Control data
includes own communication terminal status information representing
whether or not the own communication terminal 110 is connected with
a communication network, information of the master when the own
communication terminal 110 is connected with a communication
network, information received from another communication terminal
searched (communication address, terminal name, and status
information of the communication terminal, the status information
being another communication terminal status information
representing unconnected terminal not connected with a
communication network, a master terminal having being connected, or
whether or not in a state of being capable of hosting a persistent
group). Application data includes content data shared by the
application unit 113 and another communication terminal. Programs
to be stored include an application program executed by the
application unit 113.
[0064] Next, operation of the communication terminal 110 according
to the present embodiment will be described.
[0065] When the control unit 112 of the communication terminal 110
is activated, the control unit 112 begins execution of the
processing shown in FIG. 2. First, the control unit 112 searches
for a nearby communication terminal by exchanging communication
messages regarding the search with another communication terminal
existing around the own communication terminal via the wireless
communication unit 111 (step S101). The search for a nearby
communication terminal is performed in conformity with a device
discovery procedure of the Wi-Fi Direct specification, for example.
When the control unit 112 finds one or more communication
terminals, the control unit 112 proceeds to the processing of step
S102. Meanwhile, if the control unit 112 fails to find any
communication terminal, the control unit 112 stays at step S101 and
continues processing to search for a nearby communication
terminal.
[0066] Next, at step S102, the control unit 112 of the
communication terminal 110 determines a connection counterpart from
among the one or more communication terminals found through the
search. Specifically, based on the information included in the
communication messages received from the one or more communication
terminals found through the search, the control unit 112 determines
one communication terminal to be a connection counterpart from
among the one or more communication terminals. Then, when a
communication terminal to be a connection counterpart is determined
(YES at step S103), the control unit 112 proceeds to the processing
of step S104. Meanwhile, if a communication terminal to be a
connection counterpart is not determined (NO at step S103), the
control unit 112 returns to step S101 and continues processing to
search for a nearby communication terminal.
[0067] Next, at step S104, the control unit 112 of the
communication terminal 110 establishes a communication network by
exchanging communication messages via the wireless communication
unit 111 with the communication terminal determined to be a
connection counterpart. Then, the communication terminal 110 begins
transmission and reception of application data with the other
communication terminal connected to the communication network, by
the application unit 113.
[0068] As described above, according to the present embodiment, it
is possible to automatically connect communication terminal 110,
unconnected with the communication network, to another
communication terminal. This is because the communication terminal
110 determines a communication terminal to be a connection
counterpart from among one or more communication terminals, based
on the information included in the communication messages received
from the one or more communication terminals found through a
search, and establishes a network with the determined connection
counterpart.
Second Exemplary Embodiment
[0069] The present embodiment mainly describes details of the
software configuration of a communication terminal according to the
present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, a communication terminal
(node) 210 according to a second exemplary embodiment of the
present invention includes a Wi-Fi device 211, a WFD connection
processing unit 212, and a user control unit 213. Compared with
FIG. 1, the Wi-Fi device 211 corresponds to the wireless
communication unit 111, and the WFD connection processing unit 212
and the user control unit 213 correspond to the control unit 112
and the storage unit 114. It should be noted that the Wi-Fi device
211 is installed in hardware of a wireless LAN not shown. Further,
the WFD connection processing unit 212 and the user control unit
213 are installed in MPU not shown.
[0070] The Wi-Fi device 211 is a device driver of a wireless
LAN.
[0071] The WFD connection processing unit 212 is a block which
generates and receives a packet of Wi-Fi Direct. The WFD connection
processing unit 212 performs control of a Wi-Fi device for Wi-Fi
Direct connection. The control is performed in units of "Device
Discovery", "Group Formation", "WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup)
Provisioning Phase 1", "WPS Provisioning Phase 2", and the like.
The WFD connection processing unit 212 receives an event from the
user control unit 213 and begins control, and notifies the user
control unit 213 of the result as an event.
[0072] The user control unit 213 is a block which realizes an
automatic connection by Wi-Fi Direct. The user control unit 213
includes an event transmission unit 214 and an event reception unit
215 which connect with the WFD connection processing unit 212 and
transmit and receive information, an own node state holding unit
216 which holds a state of the own node, an another node state
holding unit 217 which holds a list of MAC address and a state of
another node, and an internal state control unit 218.
[0073] In the own node state holding unit 216, as a state of the
own node, any one of IDLE (no connection), DISC (node found), CONN
(in connection), CLI (in connection as a client), and GO (in
connection as a group owner), and P_GRP (information showing a
state of being capable of hosting a persistent group) are stored.
The information showing a state of being capable of hosting a
persistent group includes 1 or 0, and an identifier which uniquely
identifies a persistent group. In this example, 1 represents a
state of being capable of hosting a persistent group, and 0
represents a state of being incapable of hosting it.
[0074] In the another node state holding unit 217, as a state of
another node, any one of LOST (unconnected), FOUND (in connection
as a client), and GROUP (in connection as a group owner), and P_GRP
(information showing a state of being capable of hosting a
persistent group) are stored.
[0075] The internal state control unit 218 selects and generates an
appropriate command based on the event type received from the WFD
connection processing unit 212 via the event reception unit 215,
the state of the own node stored in the own node state holding unit
216, and the state of another node stored in the another node state
holding unit 217, to thereby constitute a group between adjacent
Wi-Fi Direct enabled nodes.
[0076] FIG. 4 shows the outline of a procedure of connecting the
communication terminal 210 to another communication terminal.
First, the communication terminal 210 searches for another node by
"Device Discovery" and determines a connection counterpart. The
subsequent procedure differs depending on the types of the states
of the communication terminal 210 and the determined connection
counterpart.
[0077] If the other node which is the connection counterpart is an
unconnected node like the own node, and it does not belong to the
same persistent group as that of the own communication terminal
210, or although it belongs to the same persistent group, the own
communication terminal 210 or the other node is a node incapable of
hosting the persistent group, "GO Negotiation", "WPS Provisioning
Phase 1", and "WPS Provisioning Phase 2" are performed in this
order (Case 1 in FIG. 4).
[0078] If the other node determined to be a connection counterpart
is GO and it does not belong to the same persistent group as that
of the own communication terminal 210, or although it belongs to
the same persistent group, the own communication terminal 210 or
the other node is incapable of hosting the persistent group,
"Provisioning Discovery", "WPS Provisioning Phase 1", and "WPS
Provisioning Phase 2" are performed in this order (Case2 in FIG.
4).
[0079] If the other node determined to be a connection counterpart
belongs to the same persistent group as that of the communication
terminal 210 and the own communication terminal 210 or the other
node is capable of hosting the persistent group, "Invitation" and
"WPS Provisioning Phase 2" are performed in this order (Case 3 in
FIG. 4).
[0080] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the details of the Device
Discovery procedure. First, the user control unit 213 of the
communication terminal 210 issues a search request to the WFD
connection processing unit 212 (step S201). In accordance with the
search request, the WFD connection processing unit 212 performs
Device Discovery processing (step S202).
[0081] FIG. 6 shows the outline of the Device Discovery processing.
The WFD connection processing unit 212 of the communication
terminal 210 receives a search request from the user control unit
213 and searches for an adjacent node. During Discovery, the Search
state and the Listen state are alternately switched from each
other. In the Search state, the channels are sequentially switched
among 1, 6, and 11 to thereby transmit Probe Request, and Probe
Response returned from an adjacent node is waited for. In the
Listen state, Probe Request from another node is waited for, and
upon receipt of Probe Request, Probe Response is returned. Upon
receipt of the Probe Response from the adjacent node, information
of the adjacent node, included in the Probe Response, is returned
as a search result. If no Probe Request is received from an
adjacent node after a certain period of time (30 seconds, for
example) has elapsed, a search result describing that no adjacent
node was found is returned.
[0082] FIG. 7 shows the outline of the Device Discovery processing
to be performed on a constructed group. If there is a constructed
group around the communication terminal 210, GO of the constructed
group returns Probe Response with respect to the Probe Request
transmitted by the communication terminal 210. In the Probe
Response returned by the GO, P2P GROUP Info attribute exists, in
which a list of clients belonging to the group is included.
[0083] Further, as shown in FIG. 8, Probe Request includes WSC
Config Methods describing information regarding the authentication
method supported by the adjacent node. There are two types of
authentication methods namely PIN (Personal Identification Number)
and PBC (Push Button Control). The communication terminal 210 which
performed Device Discovery selects an authentication method to be
used from a list of authentication information notified from the
adjacent node by the Probe Response, and establishes a connection.
In the case of selecting PIN, in the present embodiment, automation
is realized by using a PIN number set by a user beforehand.
[0084] When the user control unit 213 of the communication terminal
210 receives a search result from the WFD connection processing
unit 212 (step S203 in FIG. 5), the user control unit 213 analyzes
the search result and determines whether or not another node is
found (step S204). If another node is not found, the user control
unit 213 issues a search request again to the WFD connection
control unit 212 (step S201). The loop of steps S201 to S204 is
repeated until another node is found.
[0085] On the other hand, when another node is found, the user
control unit 213 of the communication terminal 210 analyzes the
information of the adjacent node included in the search result, and
determines whether or not GO capable of hosting a persistent group
is found (step S205). In this example, GO capable of hosting a
persistent group means another communication terminal which belongs
to the same persistent group as that of the own communication
terminal and is capable of hosting the persistent group, is
connected with a communication network, and functions as a master.
In the case where it is found, the user control unit 213 proceeds
to processing to connect to the found GO capable of hosting the
persistent group. Meanwhile, in the case where GO capable of
hosting a persistent group is not found, the user control unit 213
determines whether or not GO incapable of hosting a persistent
group is found (step S206). In this example, GO incapable of
hosting a persistent group means another communication terminal
which does not belong to the same persistent group as that of the
own communication terminal, or which belongs to the same persistent
group but is incapable of hosting the persistent group and is
connected with a communication network and functions as a master.
When GO incapable of hosting the persistent group is found, the
user control unit 213 proceeds to processing to connect to the
found GO incapable of hosting the persistent group. If GO capable
of hosing a persistent group or GO incapable of hosting a
persistent group is not found and an unconnected node is found, the
user control unit 213 determines whether or not a certain period of
time has passed from the issuance of the search request (step
S207). If a certain period of time has not passed, as there is a
possibility that the WFD connection processing unit 212 issues a
search result showing that another node is found, the user control
unit 213 returns to step S203 and waits for reception of a search
result. Meanwhile, if a certain period of time has passed, the user
control unit 213 proceeds to processing to connect to the
unconnected node found. Connection is made preferentially to a node
having a bit capable of hosting a persistent group, that is, a
terminal belonging to the same persistent group as that of the own
communication terminal and is in a state of being capable of
hosting the persistent group, among the unconnected nodes
found.
[0086] FIG. 9 shows the outline of the processing by the
communication terminal 210 until a group is formed with another
node in an unconnected state. In this example, the communication
terminal 210 and another node, which is a connection counterpart,
do not belong to the same persistent group, or they belong to the
same persistent group but the communication terminal 210 or the
other node is not in a state of being capable of hosting the
persistent group. First, the user control unit 213 of the
communication terminal 210 issues a connection request to the WFD
connection processing unit 212 with parameters of connection type:
GO Negotiation and authentication type: PIN or PBC (step S211).
When the WFD connection processing unit 212 of the communication
terminal 210 receives the connection request, it performs GO
Negotiation processing (step S212), WPS Provisioning Phase 1
processing (step S213), and WPS Provisioning Phase 2 processing
(step S214) sequentially, with the other node. Then, upon
completion of the series of processing, the WFD connection
processing unit 212 issues a notification of connection completion
to the user control unit 213 (step S215), and ends the processing
of group formation between the terminal.
[0087] In the GO Negotiation processing at step S212, as shown in
FIG. 10, GO Negotiation Request, GO Negotiation Response, and GO
Negotiation Confirmation are transmitted and received between the
communication terminal 210 and the other node which is a connection
counterpart, whereby either one of the nodes is determined to be
GO. In FIG. 10, the other node is determined to be GO, and the
communication terminal 210 operates as a client. The node working
as GO transmits Beacon periodically.
[0088] In the WPS Provisioning Phase 1 processing at step S213, as
shown in FIG. 11, Auth. Request, Auth. Response, Assoc. Request,
Assoc. Response, EAP Request ID, EAP Response ID, WSC Start, M1-M8,
WSC Done, and EAP Fail are transmitted and received between the
communication terminal 210 and the other node which is a connection
counterpart.
[0089] In the WPS Provisioning Phase 2 processing at step S214, as
shown in FIG. 12, Deauthenticate, Deauthenticate, Auth. Request,
Auth. Response, Re-assoc. Request, Re-assoc. Response, and
key1-key4 are transmitted and received between the communication
terminal 210 and the other node which is a connection counterpart.
Then, a connection completion is notified from the WFD connection
processing unit 212 to the user control unit 213.
[0090] FIG. 13 shows the outline of the processing performed until
the communication terminal 210 connects to the existing GO. In this
example, the communication terminal 210 and the other node which is
a connection counterpart do not belong to the same persistent
group, or even if they belong to the same persistent group, the
other node is not in a state of being capable of hosting the
persistent group. First, the user control unit 213 of the
communication terminal 210 issues a connection request to the WFD
connection processing unit 212 with parameters of connection type:
Provisioning Discovery and authentication type: PIN or PBC (step
S221). When the WFD connection processing unit 212 of the
communication terminal 210 receives the connection request, the WFD
connection processing unit 212 performs Provisioning Discovery
processing (step S222), WPS Provisioning Phase 1 processing (step
S223), and WPS Provisioning Phase 2 processing (step S224)
sequentially, with the other node (GO) which is a connection
counterpart. Then, upon completion of the series of processing, the
WFD connection processing unit 212 issues a notification of
connection completion to the user control unit 213 (step S225), and
ends the processing of connection to the existing GO.
[0091] In the Provisioning Discovery processing at step S222, as
shown in FIG. 14, Provision Discovery Request and Provision
Discovery Response are transmitted and received between the
communication terminal 210 and the existing GO which is a
connection counterpart.
[0092] FIG. 15 shows the outline of processing performed until the
communication terminal 210 connects to a node which belongs to the
same persistent group as that of the own communication terminal and
is capable of hosting it. First, the user control unit 213 of the
communication terminal 210 issues a connection request to the WFD
connection processing unit 212 with parameters of connection type:
Invitation and authentication type: PIN or PBC (step S221). When
the WFD connection processing unit 212 of the communication
terminal 210 receives the connection request, the WFD connection
processing unit 212 performs Invitation processing (step S232) and
WPS Provisioning Phase 2 processing (step S233) sequentially, with
the other node which is a connection counterpart. Then, upon
completion of the series of processing, the WFD connection
processing unit 212 issues a notice of connection completion to the
user control unit 213 (step S225), and ends the processing of
connection to the node capable of hosting the persistent group. As
is obvious from comparison among FIG. 15, FIG. 9, and FIG. 13, if
the connection counterpart is a node capable of hosting the
persistent group, the WPS Provisioning Phase 1 processing is
unnecessary, whereby the time required for completing the
connection can be reduced.
[0093] In the Invitation processing at step S232, as shown in FIG.
16, Invitation Request and Invitation Response are transmitted and
received between the communication terminal 210 and the node
capable of hosting the persistent group which is a connection
counterpart.
[0094] According to the present embodiment, it is possible to
automatically connect the communication terminal 210, unconnected
with a communication network, to another communication terminal.
This is because the communication terminal 210 determines one
communication terminal, to be a communication counterpart, from one
or more communication terminals based on information included in
the communication messages received from the one or more
communication terminals found through the search, and forms a
network with the connection counterpart.
[0095] Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible
to prevent the communication terminal 210 attempting to promptly
connect to another communication terminal from failing it. This is
because if there is a communication terminal belonging to the same
persistent group as that of the own communication terminal and
capable of hosting the persistent group in one or more
communication terminals found, the communication terminal 210
determines the communication terminal capable of hosting the
persistent group to be a connection counterpart.
[0096] Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible
to prevent the communication terminal 210 attempting to form a
network having a larger number of communication terminals from
failing it. This is because if there is GO in one or more
communication terminals found, the communication terminal 210
determines the GO to be a connection counterpart.
[0097] Further, according to the present embodiment, automatic
connection can be performed using either one of two authentication
mechanisms namely PIN and PBC. This is because the communication
terminal 210 operates to select an authentication mechanism
required by the connection counterpart from the two authentication
mechanisms namely PIN and PBC, and as a PIN number, a value having
been set between a plurality of communication terminals is
used.
Third Exemplary Embodiment
[0098] Referring to FIG. 17, a communication terminal (node) 310
according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention
includes a Wi-Fi device 311, a WFD connection processing unit 312,
and a user control unit 313. The Wi-Fi device 311 and the WFD
connection processing unit 312 are the same as the Wi-Fi device 211
and the WFD connection processing unit 212 of the communication
terminal 210 according to the second exemplary embodiment shown in
FIG. 3. The user control unit 313 includes an event transmission
unit 314, an event reception unit 315, an own node state holding
unit 316, an another node state holding unit 317, an internal state
control unit 318, and a connection node list 319. Those other than
the connection node list 319 are the same as the event transmission
unit 214, the event reception unit 215, the own node state holding
unit 216, the another node state holding unit 217, and the internal
state control unit 218 of the communication terminal 210 according
to the second exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3.
[0099] The connection node list 319 is a list of communication
addresses (MAC addresses, for example) in which connection is
allowed. If a communication address of a found communication
terminal is not described in the connection node list 319, the
communication terminal 310 does not connect to such a communication
terminal. The connection node lists 319 have the same contents in
all communication terminals in which connection is allowed. This
means that in the connection node list 319 stored in the
communication terminal 310, communication addresses of other
communication terminals in which connection is allowed and the
communication address of the own communication terminal 310 may be
described. Further, the order of the communication addresses and
the indexes attached thereto described in the connection node lists
319 which are stored in all communication terminals may be the
same.
[0100] Operation of the communication terminal 310 according to the
present embodiment is the same as the operation of the
communication terminal 210 according to the second exemplary
embodiment shown in FIG. 3 except for Device Discovery.
[0101] FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the details of the procedure
of Device Discovery in the present embodiment. The user control
unit 313 of the communication terminal 310 issues a search request
to the WFD connection processing unit 312 (step S301), and the WFD
connection processing unit 312 performs Device Discovery processing
(step S302). When the user control unit 313 of the communication
terminal 310 receives a search result from the WFD connection
processing unit 312 (step S303), the user control unit 313 analyzes
the search result and determines whether or not another node is
found (step S304). If another node is not found, the user control
unit 313 issues a search request again to the WFD connection
control unit 312 (step S301). The loop of steps S301 to S304 is
repeated until another node is found. The processing up to this
point is the same as the processing of steps S201 to S204 in the
second exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 5.
[0102] When another node is found, the user control unit 313 of the
communication terminal 310 determines whether or not the MAC
address of the found node, included in the Prove Response received
from the found node, is described in the connection node list 319
(step S305). If the MAC address of the found node is not described
in the connection node list 319, the user control unit 313 issues a
search request again to the WFD connection control unit 312 (step
S301). The loop of steps S301 to S305 is repeated until another
node, in which the MAC address thereof is described in the
connection node list 319, is found.
[0103] When another node, in which the MAC address thereof is
described in the connection node list 319, is found, the user
control unit 313 of the communication terminal 310 analyzes the
information of the node included in the Prove Response received
from the found node, and determines whether or not GO capable of
hosting the persistent group is found (step S306). If it is found,
the user control unit 313 proceeds to processing to connect to the
found GO capable of hosting the persistent group. Meanwhile, if GO
capable of hosting the persistent group is not found, the user
control unit 313 determines whether or not GO incapable of hosting
the persistent group is found (step S307). If neither GO capable of
hosting the persistent group nor GO incapable of hosting the
persistent group is found, and an unconnected node is found, the
user control unit 313 determines whether or not a certain period of
time has passed from the time when the search request was issued
(step S308). If a certain period of time has not passed, the user
control unit 313 returns to step S303 and waits for reception of a
search result, while if a certain period of time has passed, the
user control unit 313 proceeds to processing of connecting to the
found node in an unconnected state. Connection is made
preferentially to a node having a bit capable of hosting the
persistent group, that is, a node capable of hosting the persistent
group, among the unconnected nodes found.
[0104] As described above, according to the present embodiment, it
is possible to prevent the communication terminal 310 attempting to
connect to a given communication terminal from failing it. This is
because if there is no communication terminal in which the
communication address thereof is described in the connection node
list, in the one or more communication terminals found, the
communication terminal 310 does not determine such a found
communication terminal to be a connection counterpart.
[0105] It should be noted that the connection node list 319 may be
used to determine a group owner at the time of forming a group by
unconnected adjacent communication terminals, besides using it for
selecting a connection counterpart. Specifically, in the GO
Negotiation processing shown in FIG. 10, it is possible to
determine a communication terminal in which the listing order of
the MAC address is higher or in which the index is smaller, in the
connection node list 319, to be a group owner.
Fourth Exemplary Embodiment
[0106] Referring to FIG. 19, a communication terminal 410 according
to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes
a Wi-Fi device 411, a WFD connection processing unit 412, a user
control unit 413, an intermediate file 414, and an application unit
415.
[0107] The Wi-Fi device 411 and the WFD connection processing unit
412 have the same functions as those of the Wi-Fi device 211 and
the WFD connection processing unit 212 of the communication
terminal 210 according to the second exemplary embodiment shown in
FIG. 3. Further, the user control unit 413 has the same function as
that of the user control unit 213 of the communication terminal 210
according to the second exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3 or
that of the user control unit 313 of the communication terminal 310
according to the third exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 17.
[0108] The intermediate file 414 is used for communication between
the WFD connection processing unit 412 and the application unit
415. This means that the WFD connection processing unit 412 is
connected to the application unit 415 via the intermediate file
414.
[0109] The application unit 415 includes Wi-Fi Direct connection
APP (Application Software) (GUI), a Wi-Fi class, a JNI (Java Native
Interface) library, and a WiFi library. The application unit 415
notifies the WFD connection processing unit 412, via the
intermediate file 414, of a command input from a user through an
input device not shown, receives an execution result of the command
from the WFD connection processing unit 412 via the intermediate
file 414, and displays it on a display screen not shown. Thereby,
the application unit 415 realizes a manual operation of the
communication terminal 410 by the user.
[0110] The user control unit 413 intercepts communication from the
WFD connection processing unit 412 to the application unit 415 by
the intermediate file 414. Further, the user control unit 413
spoofs the application unit 415 and transmits a command to the WFD
connection processing unit 412 via the intermediate file 414.
Thereby, the user control unit 413 realizes automatic connection of
the communication terminal 410.
[0111] In the case where the communication terminal 410 conforms to
Linux/Android, the Wi-Fi device 411 may be realized by wlan0, the
Wi-Fi connection processing unit 412 may be realized by
wpa_supplicant, the intermediate file 414 may be realized by UNIX
Domain Socket (/var/run/wpa_supplicant/wlan0, for example).
[0112] According to the present embodiment, as the user control
unit 413 has a configuration of intercepting the intermediate file
414 used for communication between the Wi-Fi connection processing
unit 412 and the application unit 415 and allowing a command to
interrupt, it is possible to realize automatic connection of Wi-Fi
Direct without altering the existing application.
Fifth Exemplary Embodiment
[0113] FIG. 20 shows an example of a hardware configuration in
which a communication terminal in each of the exemplary embodiments
is configured of an electronic information processing device such
as a computer. A communication terminal 510 of this example
includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) peripheral unit, an
input/output unit, and a legacy input/output unit. The CPU
peripheral unit includes a CPU 902, a RAM 903, a graphic controller
904, and a display device 905, which are interconnected by a host
controller 901. The input/output unit includes a communication
interface (I/F) 907, a hard disk drive 908, and a CD-ROM (Compact
Disk Read Only Memory) drive 909, which are connected to the host
controller 901 by an input/output (I/O) controller 906. The legacy
input/output unit includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 910, a flexible
disk (FD) drive 911, and an input/output (I/O) chip 912, which are
connected to the input/output controller 906.
[0114] The host controller 901 connects the RAM 903, and the CPU
902 accessing the RAM 903 at a high transfer rate and the graphic
controller 904. The CPU 902 operates based on a program stored in
the ROM 910 and the RAM 903 to control the respective units. The
graphic controller 904 acquires image data generated on a frame
buffer provided in the RAM 903 by the CPU 902 or the like, and
displays it on the display device 905. Instead, the graphic
controller 904 may have a frame buffer therein for storing image
data generated by the CPU 902 or the like.
[0115] The input/output controller 906 connects the host controller
901, and the hard disk drive 908 which is a relatively high-speed
input/output device, the communication interface 907, and the
CD-ROM drive 909. The hard disk drive 908 stores a program used by
the CPU 902 and data. The communication interface 907 connects to
another communication terminal, and transmits and receives a
program or data. The CD-ROM drive 909 reads a program or data from
the CD-ROM 992, and supplies it to the hard disk drive 908 via the
RAM 903 and to the communication interface 907.
[0116] The input/output controller 906 is connected with the ROM
910, the flexible disk drive 911, and relatively low-speed
input/output devices of the the input/output chip 912. The ROM 910
stores a boot program executed at the time of booting by the
communication terminal 510, a program depending on hardware of the
communication terminal 510, or the like. The flexible disk drive
911 reads a program or data from the flexible disk 993, and
supplies it to the hard disk drive 908 and the communication
interface 907 via the RAM 903. The input/output chip 912 connects
respective types of input/output devices via the flexible disk
drive 911 or a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a
mouse port, or the like.
[0117] A program executed by the CPU 902 is stored on a recording
medium such as the flexible disk 993, the CD-ROM 992, an IC
(Integrated Circuit) card or the like, and is supplied by a user. A
program stored on the recording medium may be compressed or
uncompressed. A program is installed from the recording medium to
the hard disk drive 908, is read by the RAM 903, and is executed by
the CPU 902. The program executed by the CPU 902 allows the
communication terminal 510 to function as the wireless
communication unit, the control unit, the storage unit, the
application unit, and the like in each of the exemplary embodiments
described above.
[0118] The program described above may be stored on an external
storage medium. As a storage medium, an optical recording medium
such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) or a PD (Phase Disk), a
magneto-optical recording medium such as a MD (Minidisk), a tape
medium, a semiconductor memory such as an IC card, or the like may
be used, besides the flexible disk 993 or the CD-ROM 992. Further,
as a recording medium, it is also possible to use a storage medium
such as a hard disk or a RAM provided in a server system connected
with a dedicated communication network or the Internet, to thereby
provide an information sharing system as a program via a
network.
Other Exemplary Embodiments
[0119] While the present invention has been described using some
exemplary embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the
exemplary embodiments described above, and various additions and
changes can be made therein. For example, an exemplary embodiment
described below is also included in the present invention.
[0120] A connection rule is stored in a storage unit of a
communication terminal, and if another communication terminal is
found, a control unit of a communication terminal in an unconnected
state determines a communication terminal to be used as a
connection counterpart, according to the connection rule. The
connection rule may be a rule that connection is made
preferentially to an unconnected terminal than GO, for example, or
a rule that in the case of connecting to a constructed group,
connection is made to a client rather than GO even if GO is
found.
[0121] As a method of finding, by a control unit of a communication
terminal in an unconnected state, another communication terminal
capable of hosting a persistent group with the own communication
terminal, besides the method of checking the Persistent P2P Group
bit or the Persistent Reconnect bit, it is possible to use a method
of storing communication addresses (MAC addresses, for example) of
the own communication terminal and another communication terminal
capable of hosting a persistent group in the storage unit of the
own communication terminal, and checking whether or not the
communication address of the other communication terminal found is
described in the list.
[0122] The present invention is based upon and claims the benefit
of priority from Japanese patent application No. 2013-143765, filed
on Jul. 9, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in
its entirety by reference.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0123] The present invention is applicable to a method of
automatically configuring a communication network, in particular, a
communication network in which one communication terminal of a
plurality of communication terminals functions as a master having a
function of an access point, and the rest of the communication
terminals function as slaves of the master.
REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0124] 110 communication terminal [0125] 111 wireless communication
unit [0126] 112 control unit [0127] 113 application unit [0128] 114
storage unit [0129] 115 antenna
* * * * *